Evelyn Mercer
by Sunniva
Summary: One Shot. The life of Evelyn Mercer.


I don't owe _Four Brothers_ or Evelyn Mercer.

* * *

When Evelyn Denton was born in the early 40s a bright future was predicted for the young girl. Being the daughter of a highly respected Detroit politician everyone knew she would go far no matter what she choose to do with her life.

Evelyn grew up with a happy childhood, the loving dotting parents and great friends were all there in her life. That she was born in the middle of a world war and grew up in the aftermath of said war was nothing she noticed much. Her world contained Detroit, what the rest of the world did was nothing she was interested in.

Her schooling was the finest Detroit had to offer. She probably could have gone to better schools outside the city but neither of her parents wanted their only child away from them. It was in one of these schools that Evelyn met her future husband, David Mercer, who was a few years older then her. At a mere 15 years Evelyn saw David as her perfect match. Her parents agreed since the young man was the son of a successful salesman of jewels and gemstones. Evelyn and David married the year she turned 18, 1960.

Their son, Joshua, was born a year later and that's when everything changed. Before their sons birth David had been the perfect loving husband who came home in time, gave gifts to his wife and had the perfect life. Evelyn who never had been comfortable with the stay-home-wife role was a nurse at a local hospital. A job she loved.

When Joshua was born David's behavior changed gradually. He started saying mean comments to both Evelyn and Joshua. Then he found them doing nothing satisfying which he told them frequently. At times it even seemed like he was jealous of the attention Joshua received from Evelyn.

The physical abuse started a few years later. At the beginning it was Evelyn who took it all but as Joshua grew and understood what his father did to his mother he began trying to defend her. When Joshua was eight he received such a bad beating that he died from his injuries. David went to prison for abuse and murder. Evelyn Mercer never remarried.

Although filled with grief for her son's death and anger and sorrow at her husband, Evelyn continued to work at the hospital. While helping in the children's ward when they were understaffed Evelyn's life changed once again. This time thanks to an eight year old girl, named Angela. The girl was an orphan staying in a foster home. A very bad foster home because she had been abused and didn't trust adults. She couldn't stay at the hospital but the social services had nowhere to put her. Evelyn decided to take her home. Angela became Evelyn's first foster child.

Angela stayed four month with Evelyn before she managed to find a permanent home for the girl. It was a nice family who adopted her. Forty years later Angela and Evelyn still kept in contact.

That started Evelyn's occupation as foster mother. She took in the children everyone else lost hope in, those children and teenagers headed in a steady course towards prison. They would stay with her while she worked on helping them and find permanent homes to them. To the social workers amazement she succeeded every time. Evelyn got a reputation as a miracle worker. But 1986 came Evelyn's largest challenge. Evelyn was 44 years old and the boy, Robert, was 14. His past was filled with nothing but violence; fistfights, beatings and a fascination with fire. He was the one who stayed the longest, a year, before Evelyn managed to straiten him out properly and found a home for him.

Robert came back a month later, just as bad as the first time he came. It turned out the children in the family planning to adopt Robert didn't like the boy and made his life hell when no one was looking. Finally Robert couldn't take it anymore, and arson was added to his list of crimes. Apparently when he torched the house the father didn't make it out.

Robert didn't leave Evelyn's care after that. She tried finding other homes for the boy but as soon they heard about his reputation and list of crimes no one wanted to take him in.

While Evelyn was working with Robert other children came and went. But one child gave Evelyn some troubles. His name was Jeremiah and he was twelve years old. He was rude, vulgar and out of control. He never liked fighting, that wasn't the problem, but no one wanted to take him in permanently because of the way he spoke. Evelyn worked with him but still no one would take him in.

So by the time Evelyn decided to adopt Robert she also decided to adopt Jeremiah. The two boys became known as Bobby and Jerry Mercer.

Just before the adoption was done two twins came to the Mercer house. Angel and Dinah. Two sweethearts with an abusive father. They spent a month with the Mercers before Evelyn found them a home, together, since she hated splitting siblings. That's when tragedy stroke. A gang shootout and Dinah was at the wrong place at the wrong time, she was shot and died before help could arrive.

That changed Angel completely. He became hostile and aggressive. Together with Bobby, he searched and found the gang members. There was not much left of them. Unfortunately the police found a fingerprint belonging to Bobby and arrested him for murder. He went to jail for a few years, but did not give up Angel. The soon to be Mercer wasn't even a suspect. The black skinned boy held a fierce loyalty to his older brother after that.

So the years went with Evelyn as the three boy's mother. Bobby would go in and out of prison. Angel cleaned up his act some and went into the Navy and Jerry used that mouth of his to get employees of different firm's better deals. Evelyn who was getting older still took in children but not in the same way as before. But then came one child, a boy who would become the last and fourth Mercer brother.

His name was Jackson, but he would throw violent fits if anyone called him that, so they shortened it down to Jack. When Evelyn read about Jack's past she decided immediately to adopt him herself. There was no way she would trust anyone else with that delicate and betrayed child. The things that had been done to the boy would probably make even the most cold-hearted bastard cry. Besides the bastard that had done it to him.

Jack was also the one child who had the hardest time adapting to the Mercers. He was quiet, distrustful to anyone and seemed to hate the world in general. But that started to change after a trip to the attic (hiding from the world) where he found a guitar once belonged to one of the children Evelyn had taken in. It turned out that Jack had quite an ear for music, and playing on the guitar also made him calmer and happier and slowly he started settling in as a Mercer himself.

Evelyn's life stopped a cold winter day when she was sixty-two years old. Her four sons had all moved out and she was left in Detroit helping the underdogs. A trip to the store where a young boy was caught shoplifting turned deadly when two robbers burst in. They killed the clerk and found Evelyn who had been hiding. In true Mercer spirit she stared them in the eye and said, "May God, forgive you." Her life ended shortly after.

**End**


End file.
